


What You Wish For

by Silvermane177



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, Human!Morgana, Morgana the Protagonist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-07-14 08:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16036295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvermane177/pseuds/Silvermane177
Summary: "Akira! This Teddie guy's a SHADOW!" "Huh? Did that cat just talk?" A chance encounter in Inaba gives Morgana the opportunity he's been waiting for. Once he gets it though, will everything work out the way he expects? Post-canon story featuring the unexpected issues Morgana faces.





	1. Prologue

(A/N: What can you say about Morgana? Fragile ego, idealistic views on everything, boastful, prideful, and treats the protagonist like he’s a character to be played in Sims. Still, given his desire to be human and live a human life, everyone should have the chance to get what they want, right? I’m sure Morgana has completely considered the ups AND downs of being human. Just be careful what you wish for. Side note: I’ll be using the manga protagonist names as personal preference.)

 

                Akira Kurusu was deep in thought as he walked through the merchandise displayed at the Junes in Inaba. It had been a couple years since the defeat of Yaldabaoth, with the only real things left behind as evidence of the Phantom Thieves were memories, Morgana, and a residual gift of the Third Eye.

                Ever since the events on Christmas Eve all those years ago, Akira didn’t really use it all that much. It was a convenient way to find his lost keys or remote, identify the right elevator key to push for his floor, or to locate his friends in a crowd. All his friends still had their arcana visible to him when he looked at them with his Third Eye, a dancing tarot card above their heads.

                So, when while he was here in Inaba with his political internship with Yoshida Toranoske, he was rather surprised to see an arcana marker on the Inn’s manager. Not _his_ marker, but someone else’s. He was checking to see where Morgana had run off to when she entered his field of vision. The woman introduced herself as Yukiko Amagi with a standard hostess’ greeting, and Akira was a bit too flummoxed to reply with anything other than an apology and an excuse that the trip was too tiring.

                Inaba was a small town, the conference Old Man Tora was to take part in was pretty much exclusively held at the renowned Amagi Inn, leaving Akira free to wander the town. Junes was the only real thing worth checking out. Gave him some background noise while he thought. He always suspected there was other traces of other contracts out there, but he never really expected to stumble across one. And if whoever’s involved has some insights on the Velvet Room or that other world…

                “Wow, check it out, Akira. Beef Croquettes! They don’t have those at the Junes in Tokyo!” Morgana cried out, leaning over Akira’s shoulder. “Mmmh, they smell delicious. We should try some!” The cat was still a cat, much to Morgana’s chagrin. He often spoke about becoming human, even though he never was originally one, and living with Akira gave him ample opportunity to research possibilities. All leads had come up cold though. But if there was another contract out there, then maybe, just maybe, this could be the information they need.

                “Hey, listen, Morgana…” Akira began, not wanting to get the feline’s hopes up, but figuring he should bring it up anyways. “You know how during our Phantom Thief days, I forged all those bonds that guided me through?” He began, considering how to broach the subject. Morgana beamed with the fond memories.

                “Yeah! You were running all over the city with those confidants of yours. It was crazy how quickly you could find them in a crowd!” The blue eyed-feline mewed. Akira glanced around to ensure the meowing the general public heard wasn’t disrupting anyone, the young man ducking into an isolated corner to continue the discussion.

                “Yeah, it’s a gift I still have.” He smirked. “In fact, when I was looking for you at the inn, I think I stumbled across someone new.”

                Morgana’s blue eyes went wide. “Woah! You’re kidding! Does this mean we have another adventure coming up?!” He grinned.

                “Actually, I think the woman is a bond for… someone else.”

                “Huh? Wait, you don’t mean-“ Morgana thought. “You think there’s another person my master formed a contract with around here?” Akira nodded, letting his friend work through the possibilities. The former trickster himself was rather excited at the potential as well.

                “Just keep your eyes out, alright? It may be nothing, so let’s not get too excited.”

                “May be nothing?! Akira, this is HUGE! Another persona user? What metaverse did they enter? What caused it all? Can they go back? Oh, this might help me become human!”

                Akira winced. Morgana was, after all, a creature created from hope. But after seeing that hope get dashed and Morgana to get so dejected time and time again, Akira wanted to avoid causing his friend any more grief. “Morgana…”

                “Akira, can’t you see? I’m just so DONE being stuck like this! I HATE it. Having to get carried around like some stupid PET? Only being able to talk to SEVEN PEOPLE? You’ve been great to me but I NEED to be human! Live my own life instead of playing support to yours!” Morgana cried, desperation cracking in his voice. Akira looked at him with concerned empathy.

                “… I get that Morgana. I really do. And we’re going to make it happen.” He vowed. “We’ll keep our eyes open around here and... Morgana? Morgana?” He turned his head slightly to face his companion, but Morgana was staring wide eyed at the store’s mascot, a strangely colored bear thing, who was walking by.

                “Akira! This guy’s a SHADOW!” He exclaimed loudly, the bear turning to face them with a tilt of its oversized head.

                “Huh? Did that cat just talk?” It said.

                Time froze.

                Akira and Morgana stared at the fuzzy face, which stared back blankly.

                “Is it powerful?” Akira said, slowly taking a defensive stance, fear and uncertainty pulsing through his veins with the adrenaline, the tension from their earlier conversation replaced with this new unknown.

                “Extremely.” Morgana replied, with excitement and terror in his voice.

                “Hey, your cat DOES talk!” The strange creature exclaimed happily. Akira looked the thing over with his thief’s vision. Not only was the thing a shadow, but an arcana as well. Someone out there bonded with a shadow, which was now in the real world.

                “What are you doing here?” Akira asked, finding his voice. He didn’t think the think was a threat, but it was an anomaly that needed investigation.

                “Huh? I work here. Say, where did you get that cat?”

                “No, I mean, what are you doing _in this world_ , Shadow?” Akira pressed. The mascot stared back blankly, its body taking on a barely visible tremble and taking a scared step backwards.

                “Wha-? I mean… how do you… um... YOSOKEEEEEE!” The thing cried, turning tail and running off. Akira blinked at the reaction, swiveling his head to gauge the reaction of the other shoppers. A few curious onlookers but nothing too bad. Akira took a fast stride in the direction the mascot ran off, giving chase.

                “I don’t believe it. A SHADOW. In OUR WORLD!” Morgana exclaimed excitedly as Akira tried to look as natural as you can awkwardly speedwalking after a cartoonish store mascot.

                “I know, I KNOW! Just, try to keep quiet for now, that thing can understand you!” Akira hisses under his breath. The subject of his hunt seemed to have found someone it knew, Akira firing up his Third Eye again to confirm the man _also_ was an arcana. He seemed to be using his vision quite often since arriving in Inaba. The mascot took off its head as it hurriedly spoke to the man as Akira caught up, surprising Akira further that he looked just so _human_ under the costume.

                “Is there a problem here?” The man wondered, standing crossed armed between him and the blonde anomaly.

                Akira tried to slow his heart, slightly out of breath from the adrenaline and the quick pace he took to get here. “I just… found your friend there a bit interesting.” He said guardedly. So many arcanas in the same town with a SHADOW, no less, was too much to ignore now, Akira needed to play it safe and gather all the information he could. Something happened in Inaba. Something supernatural, and it might be the key to helping Morgana in his search.

                “Yosuke, this guy knows I’m a shadow!” The man in the bear suit stammered, still trembling slightly and regarding Akira with white faced terror. The man, Yosuke, snapped his head at his friend in surprise, but composed himself as he turned back to face Akira.

                “I… see. Sir. I think it’s best if you leave.” He ordered coldly.

                “Hey, I’m just a normal guy and-“  
                “And I’m the manager of this store. I am telling you to leave. Now.”

                Akira held up his hands placatedly. “Alright. Yeah, that’s fine. I get it. You’re scared. I’m a bit surprised myself.” He said, backing off. “My name is Akira Kurusu. I’m staying at the Amagi Inn. Give me a call when you’re ready to talk.” Turning around and hoping he handled that right, he left Junes.

* * *

 

                “Do you think this is a good idea?” Morgana wondered as Akira returned to the Inn. The manager cast her eyes away warily when he glanced over at her. Seems like news travelled fast in the small town.

                “Hey, the ball’s in their court for now. Neither of us expected to come across each other, I think it’s best to let them make the first move after that.” He rationalizes. He just hoped this other group could be reasoned with. Akira inserted his room’s keycard and heard it click to unlock. “Besides, whoever they are, they’re probably just as curious as us about all this.”

                “You’ve got that right.” A voice said from within the room. Akira jumped as the door swung shut, revealing a silver haired man sitting in the room’s chair in the corner. Akira stared, gauging this newcomer. “Detective Souji Seta. Inaba Police.” He introduced neutrally.

                He certainly looked the part too. A well-tailored but slightly worn suit under a light trench coat, various tools on his belt, and a suspicious bulge under his breast pocket. The detective stood up and extended a hand which Akira took and shook. Firm grip.

                “Akira Kurusu.” He replied, matching tone. He could see the other man sizing him up. “If you don’t mind me asking, detective, how did you get in my room?” The man chuckled and gave a shrug.

                “I’m close with the family that owns the place.” He replies with a dry smirk. Despite the headache it was giving him, Akira glanced at the man through his Third Eye, catching a few interesting details. The detective had the Fool Arcana, like him. And a familiar blue key with a mask motif on the exposed keychain hanging from his belt. This was the man who had the contract. Akira relaxed. “Now then, would you mind sharing how you know about my friend Teddie?”

                The detective’s voice was sharp, probing, and portrayed a protectiveness Akira found familiar. He felt the same way about his confidants and friends. That comradery helped lower his defenses.

                Akira gave a slight chuckle, feeling giddy. “Well, the answer to your question lies with this.” He smirked, getting out his own keychain and holding up the decorated blue one he always kept on him. The detective’s eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. “I couldn’t help but notice you have one just like it.” He continued, gesturing his key towards the other man’s. Souji glanced at his belt then back up at Akira in shock and understanding.

                “You’ve been to the Velvet Room.”

                “Heh. It seems that long-nosed old man gets around.” Akira grinned. “Can’t say I expected to ever meet someone else like me, or someone like this friend ‘Teddie’ of yours. A Shadow with a human form existing in this world?” He chuckled, shaking his head. Morgana chirped as he realized something, Akira already a step ahead.

                “Say… do you think he could teach my friend here how he did it?” He asked with an excited grin.


	2. Chapter 1

     Morgana was giddy with excitement, hiding in the attic of LeBlanc as the previous Phantom Thieves (plus Sae and Sojiro) slowly gathered downstairs. He could hear them as they entered in, he previous team members eager to see each other once again and making small talk. Akira himself didn’t reveal anything about the upcoming surprise, instead sharing some personal anecdotes from his recent studies and work with everyone. The door jingled as Ryuji and Ann arrived together, the last of the group. Morgana could hear Akira clear his throat and get into position.

     “Thank you all for coming on such short notice!” The leader beamed. The chatter died down as the attention turned towards him. “Recently I’ve been to a small town called Inaba, where I found something rather interesting.” He continued. Akira always had such a commanding presence, Morgana always envied that charisma he had. It was suiting him well as a political science student and intern to Old Man Tora. “It seems… we weren’t the first ones who had access to the Metaverse.”

     The room exploded with gasps and chatter, Morgana guessed Akira was holding up his hands to calm the group. “Hold on, hold on, the group I came across had a very interesting tale to tell, and I’ll relay it to you in good time. The important thing though, was one of their group was a shadow, who was able to appear in this world as a human.” He announced. The chatter rose again, Morgana could practically _hear_ the grin on Akira’s face. A quick gasp of realization from Makoto made Morgana’s blood tingle in anticipation.

     “Akira that’s amazing! But… where’s Morgana?” She asked with excitement in her voice.

     “…Right here.” He introduced. That was his cue.

     “WASSUP EVERYONE?! Check me OUT!” Morgana beamed, stepping out and giving a small twirl. He wouldn’t trade anything in the world for the looks on everyone’s face when he appeared.

     He was standing on two legs.

     His tail was nowhere to be seen.

     He had _hands_ instead of paws.

     Morgana was finally, fully human.

     After a few days ‘training’ in the remains of Inaba’s metaverse, Morgana was able to mimic what Teddie achieved: A human body in the real word. He emerged a bit younger than he would have liked (resembling a young teen), but by then he was just desperate to have ANYTHING. He stood a little short with a mess of black hair similar to Akira’s, two stuck up tufts resembling ears on the sides. Just like Akira’s hair, his remained unworkable, but that was okay. Morgana actually rather liked it. He also retained his striking blue eyes.

     Returning through the TV at Junes proved a little embarrassing, but fortunately after their experience with Teddie’s return, the group in Inaba had some clothes ready for the new human. After that, Morgana had been on cloud nine. His excitement hasn’t stopped. EVERYTHING was new again, and he spent nearly the entire week just talking to new people he never could communicate with before. His tastebuds changed, allowing for an abundance of new sensations and foods, he got to choose his own wardrobe, got to go places on his own without Akira’s help with doorknobs anymore, he finally had a chance to _live_.

     Now, he was sharing that joy with his friends. Wide eyes, covered mouths, and happy shocked faces surrounded Morgana as he stood arms out at the bottom of LeBlanc’s stairwell. Since becoming human, he decided to dress himself in black cargo shorts, a black polo with a vertical off-center yellow stripe, and of course his yellow bandana tied around his neck.

     The room exploded with conversation, Morgana could only laugh.

     “This is amazing!” “For real?! Dude, you look like you’re twelve!” “Fascinating. I can almost still see the feline attributes residing beneath.” “Mona-chan! You look so CUTE!” “Alright Morgana! Level up!”

     The man of the hour slapped high fives, hugged the girls (the hug Ann gave him made his eyes roll back in delight), and batted away hands ruffling his messy hair.

     “Thank you! Thank you everyone! Boss! Whip up a batch of your curry for everyone! We’re having a PARTY!” Morgana exclaimed, the man chuckling and shaking his head in amusement. Akira jerked his head in a wordless offer and grabbed and apron to help the man with the large order.

* * *

     “So, what’s your plan now?” Sae Nijima wondered, sipping some of Sojiro’s coffee as the impromptu party buzzed around them.

     Morgana turned to her and tilted his head. “Hmm? How do you mean?”

     Sae set the cup down and hummed. “Well, given your appearance, you’d be hard pressed to enter into the workforce. Anyone you come across during the day will assume you’re a student skipping class.” She assessed. Morgana frowned in thought. “And, if anything happens, it’s going to lead to problems. You don’t have any forms of identification. You don’t even have a full name.”

     “That shouldn’t matter! I can manage!” He protested.

     Akira chuckled as he cleaned a plate. “Heh. You’re an embodiment of humanity’s hope created by a supernatural being in a pocket dimension of distilled collective human subconsciousness. Stuff like that doesn’t fit too nicely on a birth certificate, Morgana.”

     “I… um… guess I didn’t think about that…” He admitted. Sae sighed.

     “I suggest we get you enrolled in a high school to start.” She planned. “Records become harder to create out of thin air after a certain age, but no one really looks too closely at documents before a person enters high school. We can probably fabricate some story about you being home schooled somewhere.”

     “Oh man… I have to go to _school?_ ” The boy whined.

     Akira set down his plate and started on the next one. “Actually, that’s a good idea. You may be a whiz with your hands, but I’ve seen you struggle with basic arithmetic and common history.”

     “Not you too!”

     “Oh, and you’ll need a guardian, as well.” The lawyer informed, looking at the café’s owner. Akira raised his eyebrow and followed the look, Morgana finding himself glancing at the balding man.

     “What? No. No! I _just_ got done raising Futaba!” Sojiro protested. The mention of her name made the hacker turn and gasp with a smile.

     “Oh my god. Am I getting a little _BROTHER?!_ Morgana! You _have_ to call me onee-san! _”_ She squealed.

     “Come on, Boss. You can keep me in the attic again! I can even pay you rent this time!” Morgana pleaded.

     “It’s true. Aside from the occasional sushi binge, Morgana never spent much from his take as a Phantom Thief.” Akira smirked.

     “It would only be on paper for legal reasons anyways. It would help if it was someone in the loop with things.” Sae grinned.

     “Come on Sojiro! You were just saying how lonely you were getting since I moved out! And you can use the extra cash.” Futaba pressured. The man sighed, rubbing the back of his head, knowing he was defeated.

     “Jeez… you guys. Seriously.” He bemoaned. “All right. But I’ll kick you out on the street the moment you give me any more trouble.” He threatened with a finger pointed at the new human, the group laughing at the thinly veiled empty threat.

     Sae chuckled and took another sip. “Very good. I still have some contacts in the government. I presume you do as well, Sakura-san. A couple strings here and there will need to be pulled but I think we can make Morgana a legal person.” She assessed.

     Morgana slouched in the chair he was in with a look of exhaustion. He hadn’t really considered the logistical side of things, but it looked like it would work out. “Thanks Sae-san. It means a lot… But I can’t believe I have to enroll in a school.” He murmured.

     “And don’t think Futaba will hack your way in, either. You better take the entrance exams on your own, or you’re going to have a rough time of it.” Akira scolded. “I know you attended classes with me, but you usually spend that time napping.”

     “You’re just mad I get your old room.” He teased with a cheshire grin.

     Akira looked back with a sad sigh. “I’m serious, Morgana. Education is important. Not only that, but there’s so many other skills you get in school you’ll need in life. You’ve only gotten that second hand from shadowing me, you’ll need to cultivate that for yourself now.” Morgana dismissed the concerns with a wave of his hand.

     “You don’t have to worry about me, Akira. I’ve got this. It’ll be cakewalk for a guy like me”

     The gathering lasted a few hours, finally dying down in the early evening as people needed to head out. Akira, Sojiro, and Sae discussed the actions needed to get the paperwork side of things sorted, the older Niijima sister nodding at the new human and vowing to start work immediately. Soon Leblanc was empty save for Morgana and the young man he shadowed for so long.

     “So.” Akira smiled, Sojiro turning the sign to ‘closed’ before heading home.

     “So.” Morgana repeated, the café seeming all too quiet with everyone gone.

     Akira sighed and let out a chuckle. “I got to be headed back to my dorm. Class tomorrow.” He said.

     Morgana nodded. “Yeah. I know.” He replied then gave another feline smirk. “You sure you’re gonna be okay without me?”

     Akira snorted out a small laugh. “I’ll manage.” He assured, giving a smile and gesturing at the stairwell. “Been a while since anyone’s been in my old room. Make sure you give it a good cleaning, alright?”

     “I will.”

     “Entrance exams will come up faster than you think. Study hard until then.”

     “Don’t worry, I will.”

     “Oh, and make sure you get a phone as soon as possible. Have Futaba get you set up.”

     “Akira.”

     “Don’t try to do everything at once. Take your time.”

     “Akira!”

     Akira gave another sad chuckle, looking down and shaking his head. It felt so strange, parting ways like this. He mustered a smile and looked at his confidant of the past couple years with teary eyes. “I’m gonna miss you being around all the time.” He said, drawing Morgana into a firm hug. The previous cat groaned slightly but returned the affection. “I’m so happy for you. Make us proud.”

     “You kidding? Just wait and see how awesome I turn out to be!” Morgana boasted as the embrace ended. Akira gave another chuckle.

     “I’ve always wanted to say this to you… You must be tired after today, you should go to bed.” Akira teased, heading out and locking LeBlanc’s door behind him.

     Morgana watched the door for a few minutes, the silence of the building wrapping him up like a blanket. He looked around the place, feeling the familiarity fill him up. If he was honest, he did prefer Akira’s university dorms, but the Attic of LeBlanc was the first place he ever considered ‘home’. Heading up the stairs to the dusty floor, Morgana placed his hands on his hips and surveyed the room with a sigh. He had fresh sheets on the bed, but the couple of years of Akira’s absence resulted in a fine sheet of dust on most surfaces. Morgana intended to clean that first thing tomorrow.

     Collapsing on the familiar mattress, Morgana’s bright blue eyes stared lazily at the rafters as his mind raced. It still didn’t feel real. It was so much happiness in such a short amount of time, his excitement was burning bright for the last couple days. The daunting task of actually BEING human stretched out before him, but it was a challenge he was eager to face.

     First, he’d get established. Complete wardrobe, toiletries, appliances, a few personal artifacts. Then, he’d get enrolled in school. Shujin would probably work, should be easy to get in. Next, he might get a job or join a club. Something that suited a gentleman like himself.

     When all’s said and done, he’d be ready to pursue Lady Ann like he always fantasized of being able to do. So what if he looked like he was in his early teens? Morgana was sure Lady Ann was the type of woman who would look past silly things like that. So what if she’d been dating Ryuji for the last couple years? She always said it was nothing serious whenever the group pressed her. Clearly she was just waiting for something better, and here Morgana finally was.

     With fantasies of how flawless and easy his life was going to be, Morgana drifted off to a happy sleep.

* * *

 

(A/N: So I definitely have more planned for Morgana, he’s riding high right now but cold hard reality is just around the corner. Keep an eye peeled for a few more familiar faces to pop up soon, with Morgana living life a few years behind the rest of the team, he’s going to need some new friends of his own.)

 

 


	3. Chapter 2

     Morgana groaned in exhaustion as he retrieved the canned coffee from the vending machine. It was halfway through the entrance exams, and the boy's brain was already fried. A little caffeine would pick him back up. You couldn't live above LeBlanc and NOT develop a light caffeine addiction. He gave a tired sigh as he sipped the drink, stepping aside to let the next student place his order.

     Akira was right, even though Morgana had a couple months to prep, he quickly discovered just how little of academia he was familiar with. Who knew math could involve _letters_ too? And that the mitochondria was the powerhouse of the cell? He tried to focus on just the history that would be covered on the exams, but everything built up an the thing before it it was impossible do skip anything.

     Sojiro made him stay inside during school hours to avoid suspicion, but his groans of frustration lead the customers to joke that LeBlanc's attic was haunted by the spirit of a worn out student. And Morgana WAS worn out. No longer could the former cat spend his hours napping as he was so used to before. His life had become so demanding, and he wasn't even in high school yet!

     When he was still a cat, he always dreamed of the foods he'd be able to cook for himself. But given the time required to spend on studying, he had to settle for microwavable garbage. He also imagined all the neat places he could go on his own. The past couple months though, he only got to see the inside of the attic. That was mainly self imposed, though, since one of the few things that kept him from going insane was the prospect of courting Lady Ann. Surely she wouldn't go for a guy who couldn't even get into high school? Heck, even that bonehead RYUJI pulled it off somehow.

     “Rough test so far, right?” Another student lamented, bringing the lamenting former cat back to the present. Morgana smirked and nodded, starting to head out to the grounds to get a few steps in the cold winter air before the next half started. The other kid joined him. Morgana couldn't quite place it but he thought the student looked familiar.

     “Any school you're aiming for?” The boy wondered amicably. Even though it had already been a few months, Morgana always loved being able to _converse_ with people.

     “Oh, I was thinking Shujin.” He responded with a cheshire grin. The other boy gave him a surprised smile.

     “That's a strange choice.” He responded. “Not that popular a school recently.”

     Morgana gave a shrug. “Well, its not a bad place. Knew some people who went there.”

     “That so? Well, just so happens to be my choice too.” The kid grinned. Morgana decided he liked the boy. He was about to ask for a name when a commotion caught his ears. Glancing around the corner a pair of taller looking students had a smaller one in glasses backed against the wall.

     “Come on, Iwai-chan~” One of the bullies mocked. “You'll be helping us out a lot. Just head to the bathroom when we do and slide us the answers.”

     It wasn't even a question of if he was going to help. Turning to his new acquaintance he jerked his head at the scene. “We just gonna let that happen?” Morgana questioned with an adventurous smirk.

     The kid returned it. “Of course not.” Morgana decided he REALLY liked the boy.

     “Hey hey hey, what's going on here?” Mogana announced loudly, making the two aggressors snap over to him and glance around nervously. Given the heavily moderated state of the exam, there would be teachers and administrators everywhere, even outside in the courtyard.

     “Doesn't concern you, runt. Piss off.” One snarled as Morgana and his new buddy casually approached. The boy they had cornered gave them a pleading look.

     “Now now, I know the pressure's high, but surely a couple of boys like you are well prepared.” Morgana purred loudly, still obviously directing his voice outward to make the bullies feel even more exposed. His wingman caught on quick.

     “Yeah, I mean you guys look SUPER smart too!” The boy mocked. “Hey, weren't you the ones who got those high marks on cram school?” The two bullies looked VERY nervous now, with being outnumbered now and the sight of an old man in a suit glancing their way, the two scowled at the other pair and grumbled off. “Yeah, get smoked.” The boy cursed after them.

     “Hey, thanks!” Their target bowed. Morgana beamed but waved his hand dismissively.

     “Don't sweat it.”

     The bespectacled boy stuck out his hand. “I'm Kaoru Iwai.” He introduced. Morgana blinked in surprise. How could he not see it before? He even had the 'gecko' scar peeking out of his collar.

     “Morgana Sakura.” He replied, shaking the hand.

     “I'm Shinya Oda.” His wingman introduced himself to Kauro. Morgana blinked again, then smiled. He _knew_ he looked familiar.

     “Iwai, huh?” Morgana grinned, planning out how to maneuver this interesting reunion. The boys of course, wouldn't remember _him_. “Hey, doesn't your family run that hobby shop in Shibuya?”

     Kaoru's eyes widened. “Yeah, my Dad runs it. How'd you know about that? ”

     Morgana grinned. “Oh, my cousin Akira worked there for a little bit.” He name-dropped, Morgana chuckling at the reaction from the boys. _He_ they would recognize.

     “Akira _Kurusu_? He's the reason I'm applying to Shujin!” Kaoru exclaimed.

     “Hey, me too!” Shinya added. Morgana laughed at the excitement he stirred up.

     “Well, we better do really good on the rest of this exam!” He purred, bringing out his phone. “Hey, give me your chat IDs. We gotta get back soon. Break's over.” The boys exchanged info before heading back into the testing center with wide smiles on their faces.

* * *

 

     “So what are the chances we'd all get to be in the same homeroom?” Shinya wondered as he dipped a fry in some ketchup at the Big Bang Burger in Shibuya. The trio was celebrating their acceptance into Shujin, each of them receiving the letter that morning and excitedly texting one another. “There are three classes, so it's like, thirty percent, right?”

     Kaoru took a few bites of the burger in his mouth. “Actually, since there are three of us and three classes of freshman, there would be twenty seven possibilities with three outcomes resulting in us sharing a homeroom, so it's more like eleven point one percent.” The boy calculated through the ground beef in his cheeks. Morgana and Shinya gave him an incredulous stare.

     “You're such a nerd.” Shinya teased with a smile. Kaoru snatched a fry from the other boy's plate in retaliation.

     “Well, that's what you get when you don't fry your brain on video games.” He retorted. This got another laugh from the table.

     “Oh, speaking of games...” Shinya started, turning towards Morgana. “I actually got to play against your cousin again the other day. He's not on much anymore.” He pouted. Since the growth of E-Sports, the Gamer King had shifted focus towards MOBAs with great success, and also saved him a small fortune in tokens.

     “Well, he IS in university. Did you beat him?”

     “Naturally.” Shinya boasted. “He's weird. Some days I utterly curbstomp him, some days he gives me a run for my money.”

     “Ah. Those must be the times he gets Futaba to play for him.” Morgana reasoned.

     “Who's Futaba?” Kaoru wondered.

     “She's my... sister.” Morgana replied apprehensively. It still felt all too weird to call her that, despite her insistence he refer to her as 'onee-san' every time they met. He still refused.

     “Oh, you got a sister? She cute?” Shinya grinned. Morgana gave his shoulder a light push.

     “Please. You wouldn't stand a chance. She's into the more artistic types.” He grinned. “Besides, you wouldn't want her, _she's_ not a _lady.”_ Morgana mused with a far off dreamy grin on his face which did not go unnoticed.

     “And who is, pray tell?” Kaoru prodded.

“Oh, I've got my sights set on someone.” He replied dreamily.

     “Well, I'm sure once you hit puberty, you'll have a chance of her noticing you.” Shinya teased, Kaoru snorting and Morgana rolling his eyes.

     “We're checking out Untouchable after this, yeah?” Morgana wondered, changing subjects.

     “Right. I got to help out soon, so Dad says it should be okay. I'll warn you, he can be a bit... intimidating.”

     Morgana gave a nostalgic chuckle, remembering the guts Akira had to summon up to approach the man. “It'll be fine.” He grinned. The trio chatted as they finished their greasy dinner, heading out to see the hobby shop.

     “Never been to a place like this before...” the gamer king mentioned, staring at the displays in the window, looking a little nervous to be in such an alley. Morgana and Kaoru strode through the door comfortably, Shinya tagging behind uncertainly.

     The place was almost as Morgana had remembered it. A few less models on display, but the impressive array of merchandise adorning the walls and shelves, the middle aged man in a trenchcoat lazily leaning behind the counter, the almost seedy atmosphere permeating the store. Morgana smiled as he eyed one of the slingshots under the display glass.

     “Hey Dad. We're here.”

     “Humph. Expected you ten minutes ago.” Munehisa Iwai grunted while still flipping through his magazine. Kauro flinched.

     All my fault, Iwai-san!” Morgana said cheerily holding up a hand. “Name's Morgana Sakura. This here's Shinya Oda.” He introduced, jerking his head at his other buddy who was playing with a toy revolver.

     “Hmm?” The man noised, glancing up. Morgana got a slight nervous tingle as the man eyed the tufts of his hair, blue eyes, and yellow scarf. “You seem... familiar.”

     Morgana gave a chuckle. “Well, you used to hire my cousin, Akira.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. The older Iwai gave a nod in understanding, returning his attention back to his pages.

     “You're related to the Kid, huh?” He mumbled to himself. “Kaoru. The model's in the back. Finish it up for me, yeah?” He commanded, Morgana noticing the cast on the man's wrist. The younger Iwai nodded with a respectful bow and headed to the backroom.

     “You... having trouble assembling the displays?” Morgana wondered, looking around at the lightly decorated shelving. The man grunted, holding up the plastered hand.

     “Nothing serious. Should be back to normal in a few weeks. Lots of customers just want the already built ones, and money's money.”

     Morgana gave a cheshire grin and nodded. “Can we help? I'm good with my hands.” He boasted. Munehisa shrugged, jerking his head towards the back.

     “Don't break anything.” He said gruffly. Shinya gave an apprehensive look but followed Morgana into the back.

     “You've been here before? You seem to know your way around...” The boy wondered. Morgana gave another nervous chuckle.

     “Ah, well, been to one, been to them all, right? Hey Kaoru! Your dad says we can help!”

     The bespectacled boy already had a myriad of parts spread out in front of him with a concerned look. “Oh? I guess... I'm not that good at this myself so...” He smiled sheepishly. Morgana gave a dismissive wave and picked up a piece, and got to work.

     “Dude...” Shinya gawked in awe at the speed and precision Morgana's fingers displayed.

     “Have you... done this before?” Kauro wondered, noticing the boy's eyes rarely glanced at the instructions. Morgana shrugged.

     “Kinda.” He replied, smirking to himself at the opportunity to show off. He pushed some pieces towards the boys. “Can you two spray paint these? I'll get started on the next one.” He requested, his ego dancing on the confused admiration his new friends were giving him.

* * *

  
MORGANA: So Iwai sends his regards.

AKIRA: Huh? You stopped by Untouchable?

MORGANA: Yeah. Since me and his kid will be attending SHUJIN ACADEMY together!

AKIRA: I heard about that! Congratulations!

MORGANA: Your gaming pal Shinya's coming too. He says to tell you 'to go online more, you scrub'.

AKIRA: Heh. I wish. You're not the only one with tests to study for you know.

AKIRA: Speaking of which, I gotta return to my books. Congratulations again on getting in!

     Morgana stared at the screen a bit. He understood, really he did. It wasn't that long ago he'd be there with him, nagging him to get off his phone and onto his studies. But something strange stirred inside his heart.

     Akira still stayed in contact with his friends, mostly. Kinda. His interactions with them tended to drift longer and longer apart though as their various lives ceased to coincide. He barely spoke to a few of them for months at a time now.

     Would... would he eventually drift away from even Morgana?

     Shaking the insecurity away, the former feline steeled his resolve. Of course not. He was still friends with everyone. Even if he hadn't actually spoken to any of them in the past couple weeks when they used to communicate almost daily back in the heyday of the Phantom Thieves.

     Would even Lady Ann...?

     Morgana shook the thought from his mind. He simply hadn't contacted her much yet because he needed to be better for her first. Getting into high school was an important first step. He'd start making the moves on her soon, and she'd finally see him for the man he was. It would be so easy.

     Bolstering his confidence, the boy set aside his phone on the windowsill and stared at the rafters of LeBlanc's attic until a dreamless sleep took him.

* * *

  
(A/N: Okay, his troubles are coming soon I swear! I'm still re-finding my footing as a writer so the main conflicts are taking a little longer than I originally thought to bring out, but overall I'm still having fun exploring this part of Morgana. I hope it's as entertaining for you all as well. Updates may be sporadic, but part of this exercise is to force me to keep them coming. Please leave me any thoughts or criticisms, I thrive on your feedback!)

 


	4. Chapter 3

     So... things were not _exactly_ as easy as Morgana expected.

     He lamented this thought as a few classmates sighed or rolled their eyes at him, Kauro and Shinya giving him another sad look as he got yet another question wrong when called upon. How did Akira make it look so simple? Get called on, give the right answer. It should be cakewalk! The right answer though, always seemed to elude Morgana. If he was honest, he couldn't really claim he spent all THAT much time studying anymore. He got in, didn't he? Wasn't that enough?

     Morgana figured that when you WERE in high school, the knowledge just kinda... flowed into you. Sure, Akira did spend some time staring at books... okay a LOT of time once he got into university, but Morgana hadn't quite made the connection that _his_ time spent staring at books was no where near over with.

     The teacher thankfully moved on with the lesson, Morgana glancing over and giving a sheepish grin at his friend by the window. Kaoru was up front. The kind of boy that Kaoru was earned him class rep easy, Morgana finding himself surprised at the looks the female class rep gave him quite often. He found himself a tad envious at that. Shinya scored the seat that SHOULD'VE been Morgana's: Akira's old spot. He was definitely envious about _that_.

     What made matters worse, most of the teachers recognized the name Sakura from that brilliant if not quirky girl who graduated the year prior. So their expectations for Morgana were a bit high. And quickly dashed when it became clear the boy failed to inherit the same intelligence as his older sister.

 _Kaoru_ managed to get nearly every one right though. Even Shinya managed the occasional correct answer. The closest Morgana came was one that was only half-right. He, of course, still counted that as a win.

     With a slightly embarrassed sigh, Morgana tried to focus back on the lecture. Tried to. Although he just got called out for failing to retain the necessary knowledge, the boy still found himself doodling in the margins of his notes the design he was working on for the necklace he was going to give Ann. He gathered a number of scrap silver, and even scored an impressive Cats Eye stone. He managed to cut it in two and grind it down to a decent pair of gemstones, inlaid as eyes on a motif of her old mask. He still had work to do on the mask part, and had a few more joints in the chain to work in, but he was confident it would be enough to steal her heart.

     Work on the necklace, and the various rings, bracelets, and trinkets he made as practice leading up to it, often took up most of his nights, which might be an explanation of why the boy was having so much trouble with his studies. Nodding at the schematics he had planned for that night's work, Morgana looked up as the bell sounded the end of the day. Beaming at another boring day done, he packed up and headed out.

* * *

 

MORGANA: Hey, Akira!

MORGANA: Mr. Ushimaru's still as deadly with his chalk as ever!

MORGANA: He nailed Shinya right in the forehead and everything!

MORGANA: …

MORGANA: Ah, right, you're still in class right now, huh?

MORGANA: Check with you later!

* * *

  
     Morgana slipped his phone in his pocket when a concerned Kaoru and Shinya caught up with him.

     “Hey, Morgana! Want to head to the library and study together?” Kaoru proposed tactfully.

     “Yeah, it seems like you could use it, dude.” Shinya remarked, less than tactfully. Both the other boys frowned at him, for different reasons.

     “No can do, I'm ALMOST done with something I've been working on.” Morgana declined, still heading for the exit. Kaoru and Shinya gave each other a look and followed.

     “It's just... you seem to need a little extra help.” The class rep prodded gently.

     “Yeah. Some of those questions you should have learned in middle school.” the Gamer King assessed. “Where _did_ you go to middle school?” he wondered, trying to sound innocent.

     The boys had been prying into Morgana's past recently. As the trio grew closer it was only natural for them to discuss their pasts, but Morgana still played his cards close to the vest, which only fueled his friends' curiosity.

     The pity they showed him and questioning of his past made Morgana angry and defensive. “So I'm falling a little behind, no biggie. I'll catch up!” He snapped back. “Get off my back, I got a lot going on right now, okay?! I don't _need_ your charity!”

     Perhaps it was a little angrier than he meant, but he stormed off anyways. Stupid Kaoru. He was probably only trying to score points with the other class rep. And Shinya probably was basking in how better he was doing than him, that would be just like the gamer. Morgana grumbled, weaving his way through the crowd and out of Shujin to avoid his friends' sad looks.

* * *

  
MORGANA: I've finished it! Finally!

MORGANA: It took forever, but it looks beautiful.

MORGANA: Lady Ann agreed to stop by tomorrow, I'm gonna give it to her then.

MORGANA: Oh I forgot, you're probably with Old Man Tora around this time.

MORGANA: Tell him I said 'hi'. And wish me luck!

* * *

  
     “Mmmh wow, it'd been _forever_ since I had some of Boss's curry!” Ann remarked as she bounced up into the attic ahead of Morgana. The boy grinned as he tried to keep his heart from fluttering away at the sight of the woman giving a twirl and sitting casually on the edge of his bed like she used to do when it was Akira's. “That was delicious, thanks for having me over. You've really made this place yours, huh?” She wondered, looking around the room.

     The boy gave a shrug he tried to pass of as nonchalant. Aside from the minifridge, microwave, and expansion of the workbench, the room hadn't changed all that much. “Well, I figured I was gonna be here longer than just a year.” He purred, heading to the desk to retrieve the box. Ann noticed the abundance of tools and knick knacks.

     “Oh? You working on jewelry now? Got a special girl in mind?” She teased casually.

     Morgana beamed. His heart was hammering and he let it. “You could say that...” He smirked, opening the box and turning it towards her. He revelled at her gasp. “I know I couldn't do anything before, but now that I'm human...” He started, feeling a bit bashful as he looked down.

     He missed the concerned, hesitant expression on Ann's face as he continued.

     “I figured I could try and give this a go. I've always thought you were so beautiful, Lady Ann.” He confessed.

     “Morgana...” She said, a huge tone of regret in her voice.

     Wait, that wasn't right.

     She was supposed to sound thrilled! Or affectionate! (Or, in some fantasies he wouldn't admit to, sultry.)

     “Morgana, what are you doing?” She groaned, shaking her head and looking away. Dread coursed through the boy's veins like sharp icy water.

     “I thought... I mean...” He stammered. This wasn't right at all!

     “Morgana, I'm with Ryuji. You _know_ this.”

     “Yeah, for now! You two always said it wasn't serious!” He protested, desperation in his voice. He was nearly hyperventilating, this confession was taking such a very wrong turn.

     “That's just a joke to keep everyone from teasing us too much!” Ann fired back, now forcing herself to look Morgana in the eyes. “Things _are_ serious. Always have been. We're actually talking about moving in together now that he got his job in physical therapy.”

     Morgana was trembling now as he absorbed this. “No... no, that's not right.” He mumbled. “Lady Ann... can't you see how happy we could be together?”

     Ann shook her head sadly. “I'm already happy with Ryuji. I'm _in love_ with Ryuji. And even if I wasn't, I just can't see myself with you that way, Morgana. I'm sorry.” She tried to emphasize, her eyes full of sadness and pity for the poor confused boy who hoped he had a chance.

     “But... I... I don't even get to _try?_ ” He nearly whined.

     “No... you don't...” Ann confirmed solemnly.

     “I... I don't get it!”

     “No... you don't.” She sighed heavily.

     Ann gently closed the lid to the box as Morgana fought back the tears. “It really is a beautiful necklace, Morgana, but I'm sorry. I can't accept it.” Morgana stood still staring at the bed as Ann stood and made her way to leave. “I'll... give you some space.” She whispered, her voice full of compassion but no romantic love as the woman left the boy to his crushing rejection.

     It took a while for Morgana to assemble any sensible thoughts through the cold sea of grief that took his body.

     He felt so heavy.

     He felt so empty.

     How... how could that happen? Did he really just spend the last few years stuck in a cat's body for THAT to happen?

     He sank down heavily onto the mattress.

     She had been so... final. Like he never even had a chance. Like she wouldn't even consider giving him a chance. But she said she was happy, shouldn't that be enough for him?

     But Morgana wanted to be the one who made her happy...

     The tears flowed as he buried his head in his pillow, humiliated and ashamed, his heart aching.

* * *

  
MORGANA: …

MORGANA: Akira, you there?

MORGANA: …

MORGANA: ...Nevermind.

* * *

  
     The boy hadn't left the attic all Sunday and skipped school Monday, grumbling to a concerned Sojiro that he wasn't feeling well. He spent his time in a stasis, eating nothing, staring off at nothing, and trying to feel nothing.

     He was on his belly facing the wall when he felt a familiar weight sit down on the end of his bed.

     “Oh look who finally came around.” He mumbled bitterly into the pillow.

     Akira winced.

     “I heard you've been having a rough time.” Akira prodded gently, reaching out and slowly brushing his hand through Morgana's hair. The boy whimpered in response.

     “Boss says you skipped school today. And that you haven't doing to well there.” He continued. Morgana nodded with another sad noise. “And I heard what happened with Ann.”

     The boy rubbed his face in his pillow as if he could burrow into the fluffy abyss forever and hide away from the cruel dark world crowding around him. “It hurts... It hurts so much...” He sobbed into the softness. “Why does everything have to be so hard? You made it look so easy.”

     Akira thought for a moment, slowly petting his friend's hair.

     “Nothing is ever _that_ easy.” He started. “I'm so sorry, Morgana. I didn't understand what this would have been like for you. I know things are down right now, but I want you to believe that it can get better. You can make it better.” He assured.

     Morgana turned his head to give him an evil eye. “You really think I can make Lady Ann fall for me?” He asked darkly. Akira winced again.

     “You... you _do_ need to give up on her, Morgana. To get over it and let her go.”

     Morgana turned back into the pillow.

     “I know. It sucks.” Akira continued. “But it _is_ possible to be happy without her. And it _is_ possible to find love in other places. For now though, you need to focus on yourself. What it would take to get yourself back in action and to improve. School comes first. You discipline yourself in your studies and the rest will come much easier. Don't you have friends who can help you with that?” He prompted. This time Morgana winced.

     “I... may have had a fight with them.” He grumbled.

     “Mmh. Was it a bad one?”

     “No... I suppose not...”

     “Then you can make it up to them.”

     “Can't you be there to help me?” Morgana questioned, turning to look teary eyed at his friend.

     Akira's face looked heartbroken. He tried to choose his words carefully.

     “I... can help in different ways.”

     Morgana trembled. Part of him wanted to throw a tantrum, demanding that Akira always be there whenever he demanded. That he'd drop everything and rush to his side. That he'd always conveniently be there like he was before, when Morgana was always around because he lived by Akira's side.

     But he understood. It sucked. It hurt. But he understood.

     Akira had a very busy life. One that Morgana was proud to have been part of until he became human, and now Morgana wasn't part of it anymore.

     The boy wrapped his arms around Akira and held him tight.

     “I've missed you.” He whimpered.

     “I know... I'm sorry.” Akira shushed, petting Morgana's hair comfortingly.

     They sat like that for a while before Morgana gave a heavy sigh that contained a weight of sadness.

     “Guess I'm not as cool as I thought I was.” He bemoaned with a sorry chuckle. Akira gave a sad grin.

     “No, but you're still pretty cool.” He assured with a jostle of the boy hugging him. Morgana gave a chuckle of his own.

     “Guess I got a lot of work to do, huh?” He sighed.

     Akira nodded. “You can start with those two friends of yours. You know you can trust them.”

     “Yeah... I just... hate to admit to what I was. ”

     “You can tell them.”

     “I will.”

     “You feeling a bit better?”

     “Mhh. I guess.”

     “Want to grab some sushi?”

     “Mhh. I guess.”

     “Come on. My treat.”

* * *

  
(A/N: Admit it guys... how many times did you actually respond to the flood of texts you got during the game when you didn't want to hang out with that particular person that day? In the game, you knew it didn't matter but I can't help but think how it'd be perceived on the other end, getting no response all the time. This chapter was pretty heavy, I wanted to explore this side of Morgana for a while. I think it's important for him to realize just what living his own life as a human actually means, and what he'd lose. I hope this helped portray that, and that the next chapter will help the previous cat move past this! Stay tuned, and as always, leave me any feedback you want!)

 


	5. Chapter 4

     Morgana took a deep breath outside the doorway to Untouchable. After dinner, Akira made him promise that he'd head straight over to patch things up with Kaoru and Shinya, and he wasn't going to go back on a promise made to him. Still, though, he was nervous, the dread seeping into his ego as he hesitated. Grunting and laughing at his pathetic condition, he summoned some false bravado to tease himself into going through with it, and the bells above the door jingled with his entrance.

     “Hrm. Boys are in the back.” Munehisa grunted, gesturing towards the door to the side. Morgana gave him a quick thank you and headed to the room where his friends were working. He lingered at the doorway as they spied his presence and looked at him.

     There was a slight tense pause before Morgana bowed in apology.

     “I'm so sorry!”

     There was another pause of shock and disbelief, Kaoru and Shinya glancing at each other before bursting out laughing.

     “Dude... what are you bowing for? It's no biggie.” The gamer king chuckled.

     “Morgana. We forgive you. Get up, you're embarrassing us.” The bespectacled boy said.

     “It's not just that.” Morgana went on, staying bent. He was touched and relieved that they had forgiven his antics so easily, but he needed to get this out. “I.. haven't been honest with you.” The two other boys glanced at each other in confusion. Morgana took a deep steadying breath, standing back upright, but still finding it hard to look his friends in the eyes. “Truth is... I never went to middle school. I never went to any school period. And the reason for it... I'm not actually Akira's cousin.”

     There was a small yet heavy silence this time as the boys absorbed this with befuddled expressions.

     “Then... how do you know him?” Kaoru asked, understanding the prompt. Morgana forced himself to look them face to face this time. Here it goes...

     “Do you two remember... that... cat... he used to carry around?” He trembled as he spoke. The two stayed confused, so Morgana pointed a gesture at his face before bending his wrists in a 'nya' pose.

     Their eyes went wide.

     “No friggen' way!”

     “Unbelievable!”

     The two glanced at each other and gave some nervous chuckles.

     “You're saying you used to be a _cat?_ ” Shinya said incredulously.

     “Morgana, that's a bit difficult to believe.”

     Sighing, he went on to explain. “It's true. I was created to guide the Phantom Thieves to that final confrontation that happened that Christmas Eve a couple years ago.” Both the boys faces went white.

     “You _remember_ that Christmas Eve?” Shinya quivered. Kaoru snapped to face the gamer.

     “ _You_ remember that Christmas Eve? No one else seemed to, and Dad never wants to talk about it!”

     Morgana gave a sad smile. “Its because you both had a bond with Akira that you can recall that night. Well, after we defeated that god, I was stuck in my cat form. We only stumbled on a way to get me human a few months ago.”

     This time the noiselessness extended as Morgana's friends processed this.

     “So...” Shinya was the first to break the silence. Morgana waited with bated breath. “... Do you still use a litter box?”

     The room erupted with gleeful laughter as the tension broke.

     “This is... this is remarkable Morgana. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.” Kaoru beamed.

     “So you're okay with this?” He smiled teary eyed with hope.

     “Of course! Now I understand why you're so terrible in class. We'll have to have a lot of study sessions to get you caught up.”

     “I'll help.” Shinya insisted. Morgana felt so proud to know these two.

     “You sure its not too much trouble?”

     “Morgana, you helped save all of Japan that night. It's the least we can do to repay you.” Said Kauro, glancing at his watch. “Oh shoot. We'll have to start tomorrow. You're coming to school this time, yeah?”

     The former feline grinned. “Wouldn't miss it for the world.” He replied sincerely as the two started packing up. Before he left, he headed to the counter to speak with Kaoru's dad.

     “Hey, Iwai-san?”

     The man didn't look up from his magazine. “What is it, Kitten?”

     Morgana winced.

     “You heard all that, huh?”

     “Hrm. Thought you seemed familiar. You're not gonna get Kaoru caught up in any of that freaky supernatural shit, are you?” He growled protectively, setting his reading material down to glare at the boy.

     “No of course not!” Protested Morgana earnestly, waving his hands hurriedly. “These days, I'm just a normal teenage kid. Honest.” Iwai gave a grunt. “Actually, I was hoping to sell something. I... no longer need this.” He said, passing over the box with the necklace he had made for Ann. The man took it and examined its contents.

     “Hey, not bad... you make this?” Munehisa appraised.

     “...Yeah.”

     The man gave Morgana a critical eye, then closed the box, handing it back. “Tell you what, Kitten. Bring this down to that Tsurukame Diamond jewelry place in the underground mall. Tell them I sent you and you made that. They'd give you a better price than I would anyways.”

     Morgana looked apprehensive, but took the box back. “O...kay...” He said, confused. Shrugging he gave the man a wave and headed to the underground.

     He knew where the place was. It was full of treasure, after all. Even though he was technically no longer a Phantom Thief, the glimmer of precious metals and gemstones still caught the boy's eye. An elderly refined-looking gentleman was manning the counter, who gave him a suspicious eye.

     “Can I help you?”

     “Um... Iwai-san said you might be interested in this?” Morgana offered, handing out the box.

     “Oh? What's that old codger sending my way now?” The gentleman mumbled. After an initial glance, the man frowned and grabbed his eyeglass for a closer inspection. Morgana held his breath as soft hums were made. “Did you make this, son?”

     Morgana nodded.

     The gentleman gave him a smile.

     “The stones are a good cut. Setting's a bit clumsy but practical. Not bad for a novice.” He assessed. Morgana swelled with pride. “I have a bracelet on the mend back here. Care to show me how you'd approach it?”

     With a couple blinks, Morgana began to understand why Iwai sent him down here. The Untouchable owner's cast would be off soon, and wouldn't need Morgana's help anymore for the displays. It appears he was having an interview here. Following the jeweler into the backroom, he spied the workbench and felt a little intimidated. It was much more professional than the one he threw together in the attic. Nonetheless, Morgana took to the station and under a critical eye, and his fingers worked swiftly on the piece in front of him.

     “Hmm... how old are you, son?”

     “15.” Morgana lied. Well, technically a lie, despite how old it said he was on paper.

     The gentleman smiled. “We could use an apprentice of your skill. What do you say?”

     The boy grinned.

* * *

       
  
     “That is correct, Sakura. Well done.” The teacher smiled warmly before continuing the lesson. Morgana allowed himself a small smug grin. The past couple of weeks, he was really getting a hang of things. The near-constant study sessions with Kaoru and sometimes Shinya helped a lot too. He only wished he could find some way to pay his friend back for all the help he's been getting.

     Academics wasn't the only area of improvement either. After a short while of letting his heart and ego heal, Morgana began experimenting with his charm on the girls at the school. He could sometimes get them to smile, with the occasional giggle, so at least things were progressing. None of them held a candle to Ann, but he accepted that ship had sailed. In hindsight, he reflected it was a bit foolish to have pursued her in the first place, and the memory made him cringe a bit in embarrassment instead of heartache.

     After school ended, Morgana began to pack up his bags when he noticed the female class rep timidly approaching Kaoru. Well, he might be able to help him out after all.

     “Iwai-kun? You walking home with anyone?” The girl asked with a slight blush.

     “Huh? Well actually I got-”

     “A moment if you'd please!” Morgana stepped in, tugging the oblivious Kauro to the side with a wink at the girl. After a hushed discussion with his friend which left Kauro red in the face, the bespectacled boy chuckled nervously and accepted the invitation he almost missed. The girl waved thanks at Morgana as they headed out together.

     “Looks like Kauro's getting ahead of us, huh?” Shinya grinned, giving Morgana a light shove.

     “Please. He's hopeless without us.” The boy grinned back. “Besides, we'll catch up.”

     He headed back to LeBlanc a bit early that afternoon, intending to get ready for the housewarming party that night for Ryuji and Ann's new apartment they recently got together. He was a little surprised that he barely felt any jealousy for the bonehead, but instead was just happy for the two and the opportunity to see his friends again after such a long while.

     “Ah, welcome back.” Sojiro hummed as he examined his crossword. The place was empty, but a pair of unattended dirty dishes in a booth indicated it wasn't recently. Morgana instinctively helped clean up.

     “You closing early tonight to go to the party?” He wondered as he washed the plates.

     “Not too early. Should still make it on time. Been a while since you've all been together like this, right?” He wondered.

     Morgana nodded. “It's strange... I remember when we all used to hang out and chat nearly every day... but... I don't feel any further apart from them.”

     Sojiro chuckled. “It's like that sometimes. After friends drift, the bonds and memories you made together keep you in one another's thoughts and hearts. There are some buddies of mine that I go years without seeing, but when we reunite, its like we never parted.”

     Morgana smiled. He used to be so afraid of being forgotten, neglected, left behind. But his friends were still there for him, even though they weren't around nearly as often as they first were. They all had their own separate lives going on after all, and that was okay. Nights like tonight would always litter the future, and he was confident that he'd be able to reconnect easily and enjoy himself.

     After changing and helping Sojiro close up, the two headed out across town to the building Ryuji and Ann now lived in. The apartment was cozy, not too luxurious but big enough to host small gatherings like tonight's. The Sakura's gift to the place was a deluxe coffee/cappuccino maker that even Ryuji could use, given enough sweetener.

     Ann greeted him with a slightly awkward hug, but Morgana smirked it off. They weren't the first to arrive nor the last, so there were plenty of people to mingle with, and the boy was eager to boast about his growing talents at Tsurukame Diamond. He even got started on watches, his current project creating a Junes Mascot-faced one he intended to send to Teddie in Inaba as a thank you for everything gift.

     In turn, he had listened to the various anecdotes and projects everyone else was describing, the goings on about their own lives that they were revealing or recounting. It was then Morgana realized that they were all living their own lives. Ryuji and Ann were taking a big step together, now residing in the apartment everyone was gathered in. Morgana knew Akira would manage without him, and the young man continued to thrive both with his studies and his work. The stories of day to day affairs, various entertainment they indulged in, a few news events, it all felt so much more real to him now he was part of it, now that he had his own life to add to the mix of experiences.

     A strange mix of nostalgia and camaraderie filled the boy, surveying the room as the night went on, he found a corner with a window to look outside with. It was facing the opposite building across an alley, but it was something to gather his thoughts. Of course, it was just like Ryuji to clumsily shatter the moment.

     “How you doing, cat?” He boomed with a rustle of Morgana's hair.

     “I'm not a- Grr!” He protested back, smacking away the hand. The two locked eyes and barely suppressed grins before they both gave a chuckle leading to laughter.

     “Heh. Same as always. No matter how many legs you're on. But seriously, dude. How ARE you doing?” He asked with an uncharismatic amount of tact. The boy hummed and turned back towards the window.

     “I admit... I may have overestimated myself a bit.” He confessed. Ryuji chuckled.

     “Can't fault you for your taste in women.”

     Morgana gave him a sideways smirk. “To be fair, Ann was literally the first girl I really met. She kinda set a high bar.” idiot really did not harbor any ill will, despite Morgana's clumsy attempt to woo his girlfriend. “So, you're good?”

     “I'm good.” He affirmed with a nod. Ryuji smiled, then suddenly seemed bashful.

     “Glad to hear because, uh...” He fumbled. “Despite everything, Ann said it really was a great necklace.” Morgana quirked an eyebrow. “You think... Maybe we can keep this between us, but you think I could commission you to make her a ring?” Ryuji asked nervously, blushing and awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

     The boy struggled to keep in the laughter. “You bonehead!” Ryuji was just absurd, really. Morgana glanced over at Ann, the woman beaming with radiant joy throughout the night, so pleased to host the evening, so overjoyed to share in her happiness with her friends. Now Morgana had a great opportunity to help add to that happiness. “I'd love to.” He replied sincerely.

     It'd be great practice for the day he hoped he could make one for whoever he found. After all, now that he was human and with all that's happened, it wouldn't take long at all for his charms and successes to win over his match when he eventually met her.

     It would be so easy.

* * *

  
(A/N: And thus concludes my attempt to grant Morgana a much better ending than I felt he got. I think the treasure-obsessed boy with proficient fingers would easily make a fine future jeweler. Can't say I like him as a character any more than before, but I don't have to like him much to want him to succeed. This story actually changed a bit from my original outline, but I'm very happy with where it ended up instead. I'm also very happy that I kept on a general schedule, with two fics down that have been bouncing around in my head. Hopefully I can keep that up with the next one I got planned, which will be a doozy. I'll need to work on that outline a bunch, since it's the one I REALLY want to write, and it'll be really difficult because it's going to rely on a bunch of interaction, romance, and dialogue between two characters who are much smarter than I actually am.

I want to thank everyone who's taken the time to read, leave kudos, reviews, favorites, or follows, it's very rewarding to know this has been so well received. I aspire to improve and contribute more to this Phandom, and hope you all work towards your own projects successfully as well!)

 

 


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